Spaghetti alla Primavera

When you think of things to pair with spaghetti, most likely meatballs, a Bolognese sauce or clams come to mind. This dish was thrown together on a lark during a holiday in Nova Scotia when chef-owner of the renowned Manhattan restaurant, Le Cirque, Sirio Maccioni, was asked to prepare something other than the seafood and meats they had been serving guests over the past week. Someone asked, “Can we have pasta?” So Maccioni combined a classic Alfredo with some fresh vegetables. New York Times food critic Craig Claiborne was in attendance and later wrote a column about the outing and the dish. Patrons of Le Cirque began asking for the dish but the French chef at Le Cirque refused to have spaghetti in the kitchen. So for years the dish was prepared in a big cauldron in the hallway between the dining room and the kitchen and served tableside. It was the most talked about restaurant dish in Manhattan for years and has rightfully earned a spot in culinary history.